The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1887-12-24
RUSSIA DESIRES PEACE.
And to Prove il Compares Her Warlike
Preparations With Those of Her
Neighbors


And to Prove it Compares Her warlike
Preparations With Those of Her
Neighbors.
ST. PETERSBURG, Dec. 15.-The official
military organ, the Gazette, says to-day
that owing to the alarm raised by the
Austrian press in consequence of the
transfer of some Russian cavalry to the
Warsaw district, it is advisable to con-
slider the military position CT Russia and
her western frontier neighbors in order
to throw light upon the question of who
Is really preparing to attack and
who for defense. During the past FIVE
years the peace effective OF the German
army has been increased siXty-tive bat
talions and 3S4 guns. The German
troops on the Russian frontier have
been increased twenty-oue battalions of
Infantry, twenty-seVen batteries of ar
tillery and fifteen squadrons of cavalry.
Since 1873 Germany has built in the
eastern provinces 4,S5J kilometers OF
railroads, There are eleven German
railroads by means Ct which troops can
be forwarded to the Russian frontier and
ten Junction stations where they can be
rapidly thrown out of trains and con
centrated. Germany has formed first
class fortresses at Thorn, Posen, DantZic
and konigsberg and is building SINH
lar fortress at Grandenz. Aus
tria has added nine to twenty
formerly constituted her effect
i've, and would add in the event Of the
mob lization of the army fourteen Land
wehr or Honved divisions. The Cali
clan garrisons have been reinforced
during 1887 by eighteen squadrons of
cavalry and thirteen batteries of artil-
lery, all provided with full compile
ment Of horses. In the Austrian dis
tricts, which might become the theater
of war with Russia, 4, 500 kilometers of
railroads with 'onr branches have been
constructed since 1878.
Six Austrian railways are available for
throwing into Ga!icia large bodies of
troops, who, by means of the new
junction stations, can be placed in posi-
ton on the Russian frontier. Military
nuts, depots and stores are being coll
lected at Lemburg, Przemysl, Jaws
law, DembitZa, Riaschcf, and
other points. The fortresses at
Przemysl and Cracow have been con-
verted into camp fortresses. Russian
territory can be bombarded from the
Cracow forts. A large quantity of roll
ing stock has been accumulated at Cra-
COW, udpleu IOt USE Oh huSeIdu Idlt-
ways,
"All these preparations are meaning
less except in view of offensive tactics,
the paper affirms, ''and show that Aus
tria, under semblance of defense
is at the same time preparing
to invade Russia simultaneously
with her ally. But what is
Russia doing in view of her neigh5or's
threatening preparations? NotWIth-
standing the manifest danger Russia
considers that European war would be
terrible misfortune TO all mankind. She
was the first who, amid her neighbOrs'
feverish armaments, did nctincrease but
decreased her defensive forces. In 1881
aud 1882 Russia reduced her peace eff
fective nearly 10000 men. True, she
raised it again in consequence Of the
Afghan war and the necessity of i'm
proving her readiness to mobolize
where her neighbors unremlttingly
raised their fighting strength. Never
theless the peace effective of the
Russian army Is now 20, ,lS5 less
than in 1881, while her neighbors
in the same period have raised their
peace effective "a, ,0U0. Doubtless Russia
in the event of war viii assemble a
mighty army, the concentration of which
on one frontier will be incomparablv
more difficult for her than will be the
concentration by her neighbors of their
forces at the same place. During the last
ten years 2,S2S kilometres of railway
have been constructed in the Western
provinces OF Russia, In the Ger
man and Austrian Eastern provinces
during the same period $500 kilo-
metres have been built. Moreover the
area in which Russia has constructed
railways is twice as large as that in which
ner neighhOrs have huilt such linesn